1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to the field of boat platforms and in particular to storable bow platforms for use with a fishing boat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are types of fishing where it is most advantageous for a fisherman to stand on a raised platform on a boat. The added height gives a fisherman the ability to actually see the fish in the water for longer distances. Flats fishing for bonefish is one such example. However, bonefishing is not a sport where a cast is made in the hopes that a fish is present in the general location of the cast. The fisherman needs to see bonefish in the water in order to make a cast at the exact location of the fish.
When fishing for bonefish, a specially rigged boat is used. They are generally called flats boats. They consist of a sixteen to twenty foot boat which is able to float in shallow water having a depth of approximately two to four feet. A platform is permanently mounted at the boat's stern directly above the boat's motor. The stern platform is used by the captain to "hunt" for bonefish and from which he propels the boat by a long poling rod. The fisherman is located at the boat's bow. Upon seeing a bonefish, the captain directs the fisherman where to cast; however, the ability of the fisherman to actually see the bonefish greatly enhances his ability to catch the fish. As previously stated, a raised platform provides this advantage.
There exist bow platforms in the prior art which comprise integrally assembled components i.e. the legs form part of a welded frame to which a platform is welded. Certainly such platforms perform their function quite adequately; however, they are not without problems. One problem is the inability to store the platform on the boat when the platform is not being used. There simply is no storage space on a flats boat or other small boats which can accommodate a prior art platform. Typically therefore, the prior art platform is left in place on the bow of the boat. This presents a problem of interference. It forms an obstacle which always seems to be in the way of the fisherman when he is not bonefishing. It forms an obstacle when dropping an anchor. It forms an obstacle when using the boat for other types of fishing where a platform has no advantage. It forms an obstacle when attempting to access the boat's bow hatch. Since there are so many instances where a bow platform is disadvantages to a boater and fisherman, the fisherman more often than not, disposes with the use of a platform and simply leaves it off the boat. This, of course, leaves the fisherman without the advantages of a bow platform. The present invention is intended to overcome the disadvantages of the bow platform of the prior art.